


Haunt Me Then

by Aiza_60



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Bruce is trying to be a good dad too, Bruce's racist ancestors, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dick Grayson is a good? big brother, Gen, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd-centric, Jason can see ghosts, Mentions of Racism, Paranormal! Jason Todd, Title from Wuthering Heights, he's trying ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29048736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aiza_60/pseuds/Aiza_60
Summary: Things had been getting better for Jason– that green haze was beginning to calm and he could finally think clearer. The Bats were beginning to welcome him back into their fold. Except– except except except he was pretty sure he was going crazy. A young Victorian girl had begun to follow him around (Charlotte Wayne, she insisted her name was) and that wasn’t even the worst part. She said she was a ghost, killed because a Wayne couldn’t have an heir that was black. Not in her time. And by the looks of things, she apparently wasn’t the only ghost he could see.How was he going to explain this one?AKA Jason sees ghosts around Gotham and befriends one
Relationships: Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Charlotte Wayne, Jason Todd & Original Child Character(s)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 120





	1. One

There weren’t many days that Jason Todd particularly felt this… light, but today was one of those days. He’d just woken up from his pre-patrol nap and intended on getting a light snack before suiting up and heading out. 

There was an up-and-coming drug lord who was beginning to make a name for himself in the Narrows, calling himself The Doctor. How original. Some of Jason’s sources said he had a partnership with the Maroni’s; others said he was entirely self-made– just some nobody that wants to make it in the big leagues. Whatever the case, the Red Hood was going to take him down. 

Which meant tonight was a stakeout night. What fun. 

Jason’s phone buzzed. A call from the one and only Golden Boy himself. He picked up the phone. “Whaddya want, Dickhead?” 

The man ignored the name. “Nice to hear from you too, Jason.” Though still on shaky ground with the Bats, it seemed as if Dick had made it his personal goal to butt into Jason’s life whenever possible. “Can I swing by your place after patrol? I might have a lead on that case you’re working on. Also, Alfred made you like stew or something and wants me to come drop it off.” 

Jason huffed. “Fine. But only because you’re dropping off–'' There was a voice. In Jason’s kitchen. Nobody was supposed to be at his safehouse but him. Did someone break in? Did a rogue figure out where he was? Jason’s hand edged towards the gun he kept in the bedside drawer. “See you later, Dick,” Jason whispered, hanging up quickly. 

Taking a breath, Jason cracked open his door and stalked towards the kitchen. A man was standing listlessly right beside the stove, muttering something indecipherable under his breath. But there was something off about him. The man was slightly bluish in hue– as if he decided that it would be a good idea to dye his entire body with Kool-Aid. He was also blurry around the edges too (Jason distantly wondered if he needed to get glasses) and if he looked hard enough, Jason could swear he could see through the intruder. 

Jason blinked. The man vanished. 

Huh. 

Growing up with Bruce left him still paranoid though. Jason flipped through his security footage– there was no way the man could have tampered with it, being set up by Oracle herself. But the feeds showed nothing. No man, no voices. 

Jason’s mind raced over the various possibilities. Had he been drugged? Had one of the Bats set it up as a prank? Was there a meta that appeared invisible to cameras and could vanish on command? The problem was, all of those theories had flaws in them. Most drugs had little-to-no effect on him nowadays, and there was no way that the ones that did got into his system. He hadn’t left his safe house for at least a day. If it was a prank, then why didn’t it show up on camera? Sure, the Bats themselves could have hacked it, but they’d at least want to see his reaction. And if it was a meta, well, Bruce kept a record of all metas in Gotham. Jason may or may not have memorized it. That man (powers or appearance) was not on the record. 

And damn it all, he was late; Jason should have been out on patrol fifteen minutes ago. He wasn’t exactly sure if this… occurrence warranted him staying in, but he had a stakeout to do. That wasn’t, like, high-risk work. He would be fine. 

Against his better judgement, Jason suited up. He was about to take his bike out of the garage when he saw the man again. Wait– no, this was a different person. But still as blue and blurry as the man had been.  _ Oh hell no _ . He wasn't dealing with this today. Just like that, as if commanded by his own thought, the man disappeared. What the  _ hell _ was happening? 

Continuing out of the garage proved to be the wrong move. More blue people waited for him outside, almost gliding as they moved. The strange thing? Nobody paid any attention to them but Jason. 

Maybe he was going crazy, he thought, arriving at the stakeout location. But that was irrelevant right now. He needed to focus. He settled into his hiding spot and willed himself to ignore the blue people. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see one drift towards him.  _ Go away _ , he thought. It disappeared. 

Jason exhaled. Focus. 

Overall, Jason could say the stakeout went well. He learned that The Doctor planned to meet with a potential business partner tomorrow at Gotham Harbour. They would, presumably, discuss drug-lordy-things and then hit up the local bar. Both great times to get extra information. Jason was also particularly smug about learning that the good Doctor had gotten funding from the Maroni’s. He was right– capital needed for amassing an empire didn’t come from nowhere. 

Another great thing? The blue people seemed to listen to his wishes to  _ go away _ very adamantly. Never did one enter his line of sight during the stakeout– though some gutsy ones hung out in his peripheral. 

The point was, it was a success. Jason decided to head home early– maybe get a few extra hours of sleep in. Maybe the blue people were a sign that he needed to stop pulling a Replacement and actually get some damn sleep. 

His bike was parked about a block away, because, as much as he loved it, it didn’t exactly scream  _ stealthy _ . Which meant that he’d have to get there on foot– or grapple. And that meant, regrettably, he saw more blue people. Just  _ great _ . At least they weren’t actively trying to bother him though. 

While making his way toward his hidden bike, there was a particular alleyway that he felt like he should check. He had no idea why he felt inclined to do so– but he trusted his instincts. If he felt something was off in that alleyway, something was probably off. 

The alleyway was empty. Heat scans said so, the security cameras said so. Jason’s eyes told him it wasn’t. 

There was a girl. A girl that seemingly evaded Bat-issued technology like it was a game. He silently mourned the idea of retiring from patrol early and went to investigate.

The girl in the alley was skipping, humming a rhyme to herself. Her clothes seemed a tad fancy– and vintage. Victorian, if Jason was to place the period right. What was she doing here? Was she lost? Crime Alley wasn’t a safe area– for kids ( _ rich kids _ ) especially. 

“Hey! Kid! You lost?” 

The girl stopped skipping abruptly. Her face brightened. “Jason!”

Jason froze.“ _ What _ did you say?” 

“Your name’s Jason, isn’t it?” the girl laughed. “I mean, of course it is! You’re practically my best friend!” 

The vigilante took a step backwards. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, kid. I don’t even know you.” Was his identity compromised? Oh man, Bruce would be so mad. Would the Bats kick him out? No,  _ no _ , he had to stay focused. He could worry about the Bats and what they might or might not do later. 

“Well then, I’d best introduce myself then, right? Ma says it’s always best to be polite anyhow,” she smiled, sticking her hand out. “Charlotte Wayne, pleased to meet you.” 

Jason’s mind might’ve stopped working. Wayne? _ What _ ? Belatedly, he reached out to shake the girl’s hand. Except, his hand passed through hers like she was made of thin air. Only then did Jason pick up on the fact that the girl was slightly blue.  _ Oh _ . 

He wasn’t sure what gave away his shocked disposition (given he was wearing a helmet and all) but the girl– Charlotte– picked up on it, if not entirely for the right reason. “Oh, yeah, Wayne,” she chuckled. “Though you might not’ve known it from my complexion.” She gestured to her dark skin nonchalantly. Like she’d explained it a thousand times before. 

_ What  _ the _ hell _ . Whoever had made this girl feel the need to explain the colour of her own skin was going to end up with a face bluer than the people that had been following him all day. Also– Bruce was way past adopting just blue-eyed kids. A kid without parental supervision? Bam, adopted. That’s how it worked. 

But that wasn’t the main problem right now. “Why did my hand pass through yours?” 

“Hm? Oh, it’s because I’m dead, silly!” she said, pointedly ignoring Jason’s reaction. “They poisoned me, you know. Didn’t think I was fit to be a Wayne.” 

_ She was dead. _ Jason could see ghosts now. Because of  _ course  _ he could. Just the regular Tuesday. Secondly, was she poisoned simply because she was  _ black _ ? What kind of racist  _ scum _ would even  _ try  _ something like that? “Who’s ‘they’?”

The girl had now hopped up onto a fire escape, where she smoothed her skirts and sat, legs dangling youthfully. “Alistair Wayne. My uncle. Didn’t like that Pa married a foreign noble like Ma and not another white Gotham lady from old money.” She sighed. “He burned any record of my existence after. Took us out of the family portraits,” Charlotte said, picking at the hem of her dress. “But they’re long gone now. Can’t bother anyone anymore.” 

Jason knew on some level that the Waynes of the past were not all justice-driven like Bruce. But hearing from Charlotte what they had done– well, there was a reason why he never liked rich people. Most were bigots. Instead of voicing that particular thought though, he huffed. “Just like how you’re not bothering  _ me  _ right now?” 

“Jason,” Charlotte whined, “I haven’t had a proper conversation in years. Ghosts need social interactions too.” 

“Why don’t you just go talk to other ghosts then?” 

“Because the other ghosts aren’t as  _ interesting _ ,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Also, I haven’t talked to you in  _ years _ , Jason.  _ Years _ .” 

Jason shut his eyes, exhaling.  _ Okay, this was happening _ . “Okay, sure, it's been years I guess. And that means I’m old. Old people need sleep, kid. So let me go home and sleep, alright?” 

Charlotte pouted, then huffed. “Course you’re old now, you got white hair and everything,” she grumbled. “Okay fine, go take your nap. Leave me here all alone, why don’t you?” Before Jason even had a chance to respond, the girl dissipated, as if she’d never been there at all. 

Well, at least that was one problem solved. He could at least get a few hours of sleep before someone inevitably came to bother him again. So he got on his bike and sped home. Wishing his bed a good night, he collapsed onto it. 

Instead of nightmares coming to greet him, though, he was welcomed by another almost-memory. Memories where he felt weightless, frozen in time. Memories of… Charlotte. 

It felt wrong to remember. 

But it wasn’t  _ bad _ . He remembered talking with Charlotte– who seemed just as frozen-in-time as he was. Never could he recall what they laughed about, or where they went– it was all sort-of fuzzy. 

For once, Jason woke to his oh-so-annoying alarm. He groaned. It was funny– the very sound of it filled him with rage. He hurled it against the wall in an attempt to stay in bed for just a little bit longer. Why he’d set that alarm so goddamn early in the morning was a mystery to him. 

Wait. 

He hadn’t set an alarm at all. He was usually meticulous about those kinds of things. A wrong alarm could make or break his day. Because imagine– how seriously would you take a former crime-lord after you find him in the shadows because his phone goes off? Chances are, he’d be full of lead and the scum he’d been spying would be long gone. 

Jason sat up slowly. He blinked. Charlotte stood at the foot of his bed. Jason nearly screamed. He didn’t, of course, because he was cool though. “What the hell are you doing here?” 

“Oh good, you’re up,” Charlotte said. She regarded the broken alarm clock wistfully. “Though you didn’t have to break the clock, you know.” 

“I _ know _ ,” Jason ground out. “Now what are you doing here?” 

The girl rocked back and forth on her heels. “Well,” she started, “I was bored, you see. So I thought I’d come and help an old man out.” 

Jason sighed. How he did  _ not _ like being on the receiving end of that phrase. He’d like to not be comparable to _ Burce _ , thank you very much. “Did you set that alarm?” 

She flashed him a not-so-guilty grin. “You bet I did. And before you ask why, it's because there’s someone at your door. He’s got a bag of something too.” 

Someone at his door? Oh, right. Dick. “Why don’t you go do ghosty things and scare him away then?” 

“Just go open the door. Unless your old bones are just too creaky for that?” 

“Yeah yeah,” Jason griped. “Get some new material, Ghostie.” He got up, throwing on a sweater before going to answer the door. Sure enough, the Dickhead himself was there. 

“Jay!” Dick greeted, his face visibly brightening when Jason opened the door. “I thought for a minute you were gonna leave me waiting out here all night.” 

“Yeah, it’s technically day, genius. Don’t make me wish I did leave you out there,” Jason grumbled, letting Dick in nevertheless. 

“So,” Dick says, putting a plastic bag of what Jason assumes to be Alfred’s cooking on the kitchen counter. “You do anything new with the place? Looks different.” Ah, small talk. One of Jason’s worst enemies. 

“No,” he deadpanned. 

Dick hummed. “Guess it just looks different at this time.” His finger tapped on the counter. “Alfred sends you his regards, by the way. Wants you to come over to the Manor for dinner on Friday.”

Charlotte appeared behind Dick, walking slowly on her heels– a parody of those cocky policemen. She stuck her thumb at him. “For all the chatterbox ways of Dick Grayson, he sadly fails to deliver simple conversation eloquently,” she said, pokerfaced. 

Jason almost cracked a smile at that. Regrettably, Dick seemed to take that as acceptance. 

“So we’ll see you there, right?” he asked hopefully. 

Jason sighed. He never said  _ yes _ . “ I never said–” 

“Great!” the man said, cutting him off. “I’ll make sure to tell Alfred to save you a seat.”

Charlotte whooped. “We’re going to the Manor! I’ll make sure to show you my room and all the secret passages and–” 

“I hate to break it to you,” Jason said, “but it’s probably not there anymore. You do know it’s been years, right?” 

Dick’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What are you talking about Jay? You’ll always have a seat at dinners. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been gone. We’ll always want you there.” 

What? Oh yeah. Dickie Bird couldn’t see or hear Charlotte. Shoot. Play it cool, Jason, play it cool. “Yeah, okay, thanks for the lecture. Now you said earlier you had a lead on my case. Get on with it so I can kick you out sooner.” 

Luckily, if Dick saw the diversion, he didn’t mention it. “Okay so the Doctor, right? I was listening to some goons while I was patrolling Robbinsville and I heard that he has a certain vendetta against you. Like the Red Hood in particular. Said he was going to bring you down once and for all, Jay.” 

“Pfft, you could take him down, Jason,” Charlotte laughed. “He’s got nowhere as near much experience as you. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” 

Jason grunted. It wasn’t wise to underestimate anyone. Especially someone who had the beginnings of an empire seemingly overnight. 

Dick eyed him. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“Yeah, yeah, Big Bird, stop your worrying,” Jason scoffed. He gestured for Dick to continue.

The man sighed. “He’s… he’s not your regular drug lord either.”   
Charlotte snorted. “Yeah? And what would a regular drug lord look like, hmm? A bowler hat? Pinstriped suit?”

Jason tried very hard not to give any reaction to that. The outfit Charlotte was describing was more ‘classy gangster’ if anything. “Shut up, Charlotte,” Jason hissed. 

Dick raised an eyebrow. “What did you say?” 

“Oh, nothing. I was just clearing my throat,” Jason lied _ very _ smoothly. He glared at Charlotte as discreetly as possible, who grinned sheepishly.

The look Dick gave him was doubtful at best. Luckily, he seemed too tired to investigate it further.  _ Good _ . It gave Jason some time to get his act together so he didn’t seem like a  _ maniac _ at Alfred’s dinner.  _ If _ he decided on going. 

“Some of my sources say he’s trained. With who or for how long, I don’t know. But what I do know is that he wants to take you down and take your throne. He wants to, and I quote, ‘Fix Gotham’s underground once and for all.’”

Jason groaned loudly.  _ Great _ . So not only did this guy dislike him, but he was a drama queen too. Why couldn’t Gotham have normal villains? “Anything else you’d like to share with the class?” 

He shook his head, standing. “That’s all I’ve got, so far. Are you sure you don’t want to get Oracle on this case?” 

“I’m sure. I don’t need to be spoiled by Barbie’s constant flow of information. Oracle has more important things to do anyway. Like keep the rest of you alive.” Joints cracking as he stood, he met Dick at the door. 

“Old man,” Charlotte mouthed. 

Jason ignored her pointedly. 

Dick laughed. “Babs has always been good at spoiling us, hasn’t she?” His hand brushed the doorknob. “You gonna be there Friday?” 

“Don’t count on it.” 

“Well that wasn’t a no, Jay.” Dick opened the door, letting himself out. 

When Dick was finally gone, Jason breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Charlotte. “Do you  _ want _ Dick to think I’ve gone crazy,  _ huh _ Ghostie?” 

“Hey,” she defended, “ _ I _ did  _ nothing _ . You’re just bad at acting.” 

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing out. “Okay, clearly we need to figure something out before I get locked up in the crazy house.” He sat across from Charlotte. “So how about whenever there’s another person in the room you just zip it?” 

The girl rolled her eyes. “What?” she deadpanned. “Do you subscribe to the whole ‘children should be seen and not heard’ rhetoric too?” she asked, making her voice airy at the quote. 

Jason absolutely did not. 

“So then you listen to my plan, okay? If we’re in public you can pretend to talk into your phone or something. If we’re in close quarters with other people, you can use morse code. I’ll try my best not to make you laugh.” 

“You know morse code?” he asked incredulously. 

She gestured to herself. “Ghost spending hundreds of years alone bored out of her mind. I can still read, you know.” 

Jason sighed. Made sense. “You do know that all the bats are fluent in morse code too, right?” 

Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. “If they’re not looking for it and you’re discreet about it, we’ll be fine. Besides, you got any better ideas?” 

Sadly, he didn’t. Distantly, he wondered if the rest of his life would be like this.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Charlotte do some snooping and eavesdropping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! This chapter was super fun to write so I hope you guys enjoy! :)

“Remind me why this was a good idea?” Jason asked, his legs already numb from crouching in the same place for so long. The fishy smell of Gotham Harbour wasn’t doing him any favours either. 

“It’s honestly the best plan you’ve had in weeks,” Charlotte mumbled. How she knew that– Jason had no idea. Had she been stalking him all this time too? “They can’t see  _ or _ hear me, but they  _ can _ very much _ see _ and  _ hear you _ .” The girl poked him in the chest, or would have if her finger was solid. 

“Whatever, Ghostie. You got a visual yet?” 

“You  _ know _ I could just go and sit right next to them.” 

Jason eyed the men standing at the dock. He knew it was them– it was just too shadowy to see their faces properly. It wasn’t like they could hurt Charlotte anyway, her having no corporeal form and everything. “ _ Then _ I’d have to verify all the information you relayed was correct. That’s too much extra work.” 

Charlotte pouted. “You could just trust me here. I’ve literally been eavesdropping longer than I’ve even been alive.” 

“You’re like, eight.” Jason sighed. Charlotte did kind of have a point though. Against his better judgement, he gave in. “Okay, fine. Go. Try not to get shot,” he added sarcastically. 

“I’ll try my very best,” the girl beamed. She glided down to the men gracefully before sitting cross-legged beside them like a preschooler listening to an enticing storybook. 

Jason laughed under his breath. If he had told himself a week ago that now he was getting a ghost that wouldn’t leave him alone to do his stakeouts for him he would have thought himself crazy. Maybe he was. 

Except– his thoughts had been surprisingly clear lately. No longer were they tainted with whispers from the Lazarus Pit. He hadn’t had a Lazarus episode in months. He was finally beginning to feel like himself again. Belatedly, he wondered if the Pit was what kept these ghosts at bay since his return. If his return was what caused this whole schtick in the first place– that is. But he was willing to bet on it– he hadn’t run into any magical items or people as of late anyway. 

Something he’d noticed since Charlotte started to stick around was that the other ghosts didn’t bother him as much. Yes, they were still there, but they were more like respectful bystanders than confused ghosts standing in your kitchen at seven P.M. He wondered if he had done anything, or maybe Charlotte had. She did seem, for lack of better words, more lively than the rest. 

“Hey, Jason,” Charlotte called, floating up to him. “These guys are leaving.” 

“To the bar?”

“Presumably.” 

Jason grunted. He must have spaced out for longer than he’d thought. “What did you learn?” he asked, getting up. 

“So the guy the Doctor’s working with is called Zachary. Whether it’s his first name or surname, I don’t know,” she said, counting off on her fingers. “Oh, secondly, this Zachary fella says he has a shipment of weapons coming in on Friday for our good Doctor. It’s supposed to be delivered to the old brick factory by the pier around midnight. Said he would deliver it personally since most of his men would be working to keep the Bats off his tail.”

Great. He had an excuse to leave family dinner early. “Thanks, Charlotte. Now, are you ready to go eavesdrop some more?” 

“Can’t wait.” 

The bar was pretty crowded for the time that Jason and Charlotte arrived. Which made it easier to disappear into the crowd. Charlotte set out to find the Doctor while Jason ordered a sparkling drink so as to not look too out of place. 

“I’ve found them,” Charlotte said, floating up to Jason. “They’ve got a table in that corner over there–” she pointed to a table that conveniently was situated near an exit. “There’s a table near them, but there’s already a guy sitting there.”

Jason grunted. He had a small listening device in his pocket. If he could get it near that table he could record the whole conversation and look over it later. 

“Do you want me to go listen again?” 

“Can’t have you completely do my job for me, Ghostie.” He took out the device from his pocket and placed it in Charlotte’s hand. “You can put this near their–” Wait. He’d  _ put  _ the device in her hand. As in– Charlotte was  _ holding _ it. 

The device fell through Charlotte’s hand, clattering to the floor. 

Jason pointed at her, brows furrowed. “Wait. Did you just hold that for a second?” 

That’s when it hit him. That  _ coldness _ that crept inside of him, slithering down his throat and  _ squeezing _ from the inside. He clutched his side, hoping distantly that Charlotte wouldn’t notice. 

She didn’t. “I– I think so,” she said, looking equally shocked. She paused, a grin growing on her face. “I held that! Jason do you know what this means?” He gestured for her to tell. “If it happened once, it can happen again! I’ll be able to  _ touch  _ things again Jason!”

She would be able to touch things again. After being weightless for so long, Jason could imagine the joy that touch could bring. He remembered Talia telling him about his strange habits of feeling anything he could get his hands on when the League first found him. He understood it now. He swallowed, pushing the uncomfortable iciness away.“Did I do that or did you?” 

“I’m not sure. What were you thinking about when you gave that to me?”

“I guess I kinda just forgot you were a ghost,” he laughed. “I just thought about giving you that device.” 

“Let’s try again.” 

Jason reached out, dropping the device into Charlotte’s hand. It fell to the floor, spinning for a few moments before going completely still. He frowned and tried again, the process yielding the same result. 

Charlotte sighed. “It’s not working.” 

“I can see that, Ghostie.” 

“Maybe we should just go back to eavesdropping for the night.” 

Jason looked up searching for the Doctor and his associate. Nothing. Dammit. They’d left while Jason and Charlotte had been distracted. “They’re gone,” he scowled. 

“Sorry,” Charlotte murmured. “We wouldn’t have been distracted if I hadn’t–” 

“No, no, it’s okay,” Jason said, sighing. “I’ll see if we can hack into any security cameras later.” He stuffed the device in his pocket and headed for the door. “Whaddya say about turning in for the night, eh?” 

“But if we keep looking around we might find them! We could still get more information!” 

Jason waved her off. “Not worth it. We’ll just end up wasting more time running around like that.” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless you want to spend the night running around looking for them by yourself?” 

“I most certainly do not!” Charlotte exclaimed, her face scrunching up adorably. She turned her nose up. “It is not befitting of a lady to walk by herself in strange places at night.” 

Jason snorted. “Only a lady when it’s convenient, eh Ghostie?” Charlotte pouted and Jason laughed again. “Come on, let’s go home.” 

___________

Dick pressed his forehead to the front of his steering wheel. Stupid. He’d been so stupid. Belatedly, he remembered that it was a good thing that this whole ‘mental breakdown’ thing was happening in the Manor driveway and not on the highway. Otherwise there’d be a lot more honking coming from behind him. 

He’d done what Alfred had asked. He’d dropped off the food at Jason’s and asked him to attend tonight’s dinner. Which was stupid. Jason had made it quite clear that he wanted to be left alone. (Could he not see how badly everyone wanted him back? How badly Dick wanted his brother back?) Maybe he’d come on too strong. Maybe Jason would get intimidated and bail at the last second. Dick could imagine how disappointed Alfred would be at that– he knew the old man had been anticipating Jason’s visit for days now. 

Dick lifted his head, sighing. Well, if Jason came, he came and that was that. Drumming his fingers on the wheel, Dick looked over to the bag in the passenger’s seat. It was Damian’s favourite sweater– one that he’d forgotten and Dick’s apartment the last time he visited. One that Dick was ninety-nine percent sure used to belong to Tim. Not that Damian would ever admit to it, though. Dick had been meaning to return the garment for some time now, but he’d just gotten so busy. What, with his night job, his day job and trying to smooth things over with Jason. 

This was definitely the farthest he’d gotten with his brother. Aside from bat business, the boy hadn’t been to the Manor at all since… Whatever happened tonight could make or break the fragile bridge that Dick had so carefully constructed with his estranged brother. 

He snagged the bag from the seat and walked up the path to the Manor doors. He cracked it open. “Hey, Alfie!” 

The man came to greet him, drying his hands with a towel as he walked. “Master Dick,” he smiled. “It’s good to see you.” 

Dick gave his pseudo-grandfather a quick hug. “You too, Alf.” He pulled away, letting Alfred lead him to the kitchen, from which, of course, wafted mouth-watering scents. “Do you need me to help with anything?” 

“As much as I’d like the help…” Alfred trailed off, busied by setting a platter of something in the oven. “Could you fetch Master Jason for me? I’m afraid I had to banish him upstairs after he insisted one too many times on helping.” 

Dick’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? He came?” 

Alfred looked up from arranging some potatoes in a dish. “He did. Conveniently just after Master Bruce and the rest of your brothers left to pick up Miss Cassandra from the airport.” 

“Huh.” 

Dick made his way up the stairs, checking the rooms methodically for Jason. It didn’t help that the house was a literal mansion and had about a million rooms. Finally, though, Dick heard Jason’s voice coming from his old room. 

“So you’re telling me that this used to be your room?” A pause. Jason scoffed. “Nah, that’s just my old homework that I guess they didn’t put away. They’re weird like that.” Another pause.  _ Who was Jason talking to _ ? “Hey,  _ you guys  _ were weirder.  _ You people  _ thought that arsenic was good for you then turned around and used it to kill rats.” Jason barked out a laugh after another pause. 

Dick took a deep breath and knocked on the door. “Jason?” 

There were sounds of muffled swearing before Jason opened the door a moment later. Coincidentally, there was no phone in sight. Nor was there anyone else in the room. “What do you want?” 

“Who were you talking to?” 

Jason groaned. “If that’s all you want I’m leaving again,” he said, closing the door. 

“No wait–” Dick stopped the door with his hand. “Alfred’s calling you. Needs you downstairs or something.” 

Jason looked as if he were about to say something, then stopped. He cocked his head– like he was listening for something only he could hear.“Okay, fine, fine, I’m coming,” Jason grumbled and shuffled past Dick. 

Dick turned quizzically to stare at Jason walking downstairs. Weird. Jason had been acting weird. And not just today– but when he went to visit the other day too. It was probably the detective in him that noticed the small things– like Jason staring at thin air as if there was something there. Dick remembered how nervous and jumpy he was before; there was no doubt he was hiding something. Previously, Dick had just chalked up the odd behaviour to sleep deprivation or the after-effects of fear gas. But now… now Dick was starting to get suspicious. 

The events of that evening did nothing to quell Dick’s suspicions either. 

Bruce and Co. arrived home, a certain ten-year-old flinging himself at Dick the moment he saw him. Dick had never been one to turn down a hug, after all. Which was why his arms were currently full of babbling preteen. But Dick couldn’t find himself able to focus on Damian’s story of Bruce getting lost at the airport. (Something about going to the wrong terminal?) He was too busy– focusing instead on the rhythmic tapping of Jason’s finger on his pant leg and his  _ weird _ subdued expressions. 

“And then,” Damian continued, “Father was too embarrassed to tell the security guard that he was lost so he continued walking. It was a  _ departure  _ terminal Grayson! We may have actually boarded a flight to Connecticut if Drake hadn’t stepped in.” 

Dick hummed. “ _ I _ thought you said you _wanted_ to visit New England.” Damian’s face scrunched up at that. Dick patted him on the back. “Don’t worry about it kiddo. Oh, and hey, I brought over that sweater you forgot at my place.” 

Tim sauntered into the room, kicking off his shoes. “Oh, you mean the one that you  _ stole _ ?”

Damian reddened. “Drake I will–”   
“Yeah, yeah, destroy my bloodline or whatever. Chill.” 

“Yes, Dami,” Cass added. “Be nice.” 

“But Cain! He–” 

“Nobody wants to hear it, short stuff,” Jason interjected from the corner where he had been watching the scene play out. He nodded to Cass. “How was Hong Kong?” 

“Fun.”

“You gonna end up moving?” Dick asked. 

“Don’t know. Being away for so long will be…” she paused, waving her hands in the air. “Hard.” 

Jason huffed, rubbing his hands together. “Alright, it’s been nice. I’ve got some stuff to do so someone come call me when dinner’s ready.” 

“Jason wait–”

He walked out of the room wordlessly, giving them the finger all the while. 

Dick threw his hands into his lap. “Does anyone want to go get him?” Nobody volunteered. 

“Maybe he just wants to be left alone, Dick,” Tim suggested. 

“Yeah… But I’ve got the feeling that something’s not quite right.” He sighed defeatedly. “I’m gonna go talk to him. Wish me luck.” 

Was Dick doing the right thing? He didn’t want to be the overbearing, stuffy older brother. He didn’t want Jason to be alone when something clearly wasn’t right. He was just… being concerned. That’s all. 

Because what if Jason was hiding an injury? What if he’d been hiding post-fear gas jitters? It wasn’t unheard of– especially in their line of work. Dick just didn’t want to find out through Jason bleeding out via ripped, sloppy stitches or the like. 

It wasn’t long before Dick found Jason again by the sound of his voice.  _ Bruce’s office _ . This time, Dick got a glimpse into the room, which Jason was tearing up in search of  _ something _ . 

“Yeah, yeah, I know it’s not really necessary but it’s the least I can do. Nobody deserves to be forgotten like that, Charlotte.” 

_ A name.  _

Jason paused. Dick stilled, thinking he’d been caught. “Oh yeah? And what would you have me do? Hang out with Daddy Dearest? Hmm? “ He spread his arms to thin air. “I don’t know if you know this, but there’s some nuances that come with this,” Jason said, gesturing to himself. He sighed. “You’re right. Just– just help me look for the documents, okay?” 

Documents? What was Jason looking for? 

“I know, I know. But you can still read things, okay? Just don’t touch anything, alright? Not after last time.” The corners of Jason’s mouth turned up. “Or I  _ will _ whoosh you away.” He scoffed. “Nuh-uh! Not a bluff at all Ghostie!” 

_ Ghostie _ ? A nickname for Ghost, maybe? There wasn’t any vigilante Dick knew that went by that moniker. Was there a new player? 

Jason hesitated, glaring intently at the empty space to the right of him. He froze. “What do you mean there’s someone–” He swore under his breath, glancing towards the door. 

Dick flattened himself to the wall. A beat. Jason sighed, resigned. “Go away,” he called coldly but failed to do much else. Dick doesn’t move. 

Dinner rolls around. Alfred has outdone himself again– the roast duck and vegetables look truly mouthwatering. Bruce sits at the head of the table and Jason at the foot. Or maybe the other way around. Dick sniffs a laugh at the thought. The two seats farthest apart and yet the ones where they are most likely to look each other in the eye. Neither do. 

Cass talks about her time in Hong Kong, Tim and Bruce swap statistics about WE and Damian complains about his “intolerable” classmates. Dick only half pays attention to it. Seemingly, so does Jason. His fingers tap lightly against the table. There are some in quick succession, then pauses, then in slower succession.  _ Morse code _ . But nobody else at the table seems to notice or reply. 

_ ‘What time is the meet?’ _ A long pause. _ ‘OK, gives us time to look for the records.’ _

Huh. 

Dick wanted to think the best of his brother, he really did. But right now, he was beginning to think that Jason had only come to this dinner to root around in Bruce’s files to sell some information. Oh, and he was possibly accompanied by a woman with either very good invisibility technology or magic, or she was a meta. Or Jason had finally lost his marbles. 

Either or. 

He should confront Jason. Snooping around and making assumptions never led to anything good– especially in this family. For all he knew, Jason was playing a practical joke specifically on him. He had known that someone was watching him in Bruce’s office, after all. 

Bruce. Bruce could probably help. 

After the meal, Dick decided to pull up security feeds of Hood’s patrol routes. He didn’t like what he saw. He pulled Bruce aside. “Hey B,” he began. “You notice anything weird about Jay lately?” 

Bruce scratched the back of his head, brows furrowed. “What do you mean?” 

“I don’t know, he been acting–”

“Sick,” Bruce concluded. “The case with the Doctor. It’s working him into the ground.” He presses his fist to his mouth, thinking. “I never should have let him take that case alone.” 

Dick fought the urge to facepalm. Firstly, that’s not what he meant (even if Jason has been looking slightly under the weather). Secondly, Bruce must be seriously deluded to think that Jason would let Bruce take the lead on  _ his  _ case specifically in  _ his _ territory. 

“I found Jason looking for some records in your office for some meet-up tonight,” Dick blurted. “With who or for what, I don’t know.” 

Bruce’s expression darkened. “And you’re telling me this so I can do what?” 

“I don’t know!” Dick exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “Help me get to the bottom of this. Just don’t condemn him. I–” he wavered, blinking furiously. “I don’t want him to lose his faith in us.” 

The man grunted.”Did you notice anything else about him?” 

“Seemed restless. Or like he was seeing and hearing things that weren’t there.”

“Hrn. I can test him for residual traces of fear gas or other hallucinogens.” 

Dick looked his father in the eye. “Don’t be stupid and scare him, Bruce, okay?” Bruce hummed and Dick rubbed the inside of his wrist. “I just– he’s been like this since I visited Bruce. I found the camera footage from his patrol. He’s been talking to thin air all week.” 

“We’ll ask him what’s going on, okay?” Bruce raised an eyebrow. “We’re not going to be stupid.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dick and Bruce: We're not going to be stupid  
> Me: heheheh yes you will

**Author's Note:**

> Jason: Yes yes, I am certainly not talking to myself and there certainly isn't a ghost in here that I'm having a secret conversation with, nooo sir :)  
> Dick: *press x to doubt* 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed! Tell me what you guys thought!


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